Affleck's diplomatic mission wins votes

"THIS film is a second act for me," said rookie director Ben Affleck as he cradled the BAFTA best picture award and stared into the camera with a piercing intensity that hinted at his (possibly political) third.

It's no mean feat for a newcomer to hold that trophy over heavy hitters like Les Miserables and Lincoln. So how has this film turned Affleck from questionable actor, to a convincing leader of the party?

Argo is a dramatisation of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran using the far fetched cover that they the extraction team were shooting a movie there.

Precise editing and soundtrack choices allow the simple central theme to be explored with style and clarity. Argo satisfies because it hits every note, from comedy to despair, without ever feeling contrived.

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Affleck uses archive footage and scenes of violence and realism as the engine for the film. Onscreen televisions depict the passions of both sides and heighten the vulnerability of our characters. It is in the way the growing threat is threaded through the strands of Hollywood, Tehran and the CIA, that elevates Argo to its award-winning status.

Affleck has jumped into the political deep-end in covering America's relations with Iran. But it's not suicide. The film carries an authenticity and seriousness that allows it to move peacefully through dangerous territory. Despite its political sympathies, however, some scenes did contain a few too many groups of bearded irrational men so as not to question its legacy into popular culture.

But Argo is about storytelling, and Hollywood and Iran are simply characters in the show. It's perfectly-paced film making, and if you're looking for more, both Affleck and Argo's focused stare provide an entrancing window into the past and future of American politics. And all at a refreshing 91-minute run time. Ar-go take a look at the cinema this week.

Argo is at the Tivoli tonight, tomorrow and Thursday.